The Log of Moira
Southern California (April – October, 2004)
These are mostly Susan’s remarks. Larry’s notes are indicated thus <Larry: blah blah blah.>.
On April 16th 2004, we started
early for Santa Barbara. Now came the fun part. Up to this time we had been
dressing in our cross-country polypropylene skiing clothes, including long
johns. As we got each mile closer to Santa Barbara we shed more clothes. By mid
day we were back into SoCal shorts and light shirts and were so grateful to be
back in the relative warmth of Southern California. Beach Boys, here we come.
We spent over a week in Santa Barbara seeing friends, doing the wine country
around the area and just enjoying warm breezes and the LA Times.
With the wine cellar filled up we were ready to hit the
road, so to speak, once again. Sitting across the Santa Barbara Channel are the
Channel Islands, some more remote than others. We sailed on April 25th
to Santa Cruz Island, which is about 25 miles off the coast, and is known for
several good anchorages well protected from the prevailing wind and swell. We
anchored alone in Pelican Cove, in which you might expect to see many pelicans.
So we did, and that was a treat. In addition, we saw dolphins, and some 
very
large, magical jelly fish, very beautiful creatures just waiting to sting you
if you bother them. The water was too cold for swimming without a wet suit, so
I did not swim with the jelly fish, deciding to wait until Catalina Island.
However the water was a gorgeous deep blue with aqua colored water taking over
in more shallow areas. The weather remained lovely and the winds slightly warm,
just warm enough to remind us that we were really in So. Cal. We traveled down
the North side of Santa Cruz Island and stayed in Little Scorpion Cove, a
beautiful small cove which was for us alone until the weekend, at which time it
filled up quickly. The only problem was that not every boater agreed to anchor
the same way… bow anchor only… so there were moments of agitation as boats
swung too close together, when first trying to anchor or when the wind or
current shifted direction. <Larry: The usual rule is that the first boat
into an anchorage sets the regime on one or two anchors. One anchor (by the
bow), and everyone swings together, to the direction of wind. Two anchors (bow
and stern) and everyone is held rigidly in place. The two regimes don’t mix. We
were the first boat into the anchorage, and set one anchor. Boaters from Santa
Barbara don’t give a damn who they hit, or who hits them. We calculated that
one night, anchored on one anchor, we passed within 30 feet of another boat,
anchored on two anchors. We gave up, and dropped a second anchor.> One boat
dragged anchor, and ploughed backwards so fast through the group of boats
already anchored that no time remained to warn the boaters in his path
downwind. After several encores, that boat left the anchorage with one injured
crewmember, his hand torn up in wrestling with his anchor. Oh well, anchoring
correctly is one of the big skills to learn. So far we have been fine.
After a week or so we took off for Catalina Island on May 1st, where we headed straight for Cat Harbor on the South (windward) side of the isthmus. This is an all-weather anchorage on Catalina, away from much of the noise and weekend boating chaos of the North side <Larry: and as a result, much favored by the hard-core cruising community>. Cat Harbor is about a mile walk from the village of Two Harbors and the modest cruising amenities that it offers. The cruising world is a rather small community, and one often meets old acquaintances in new ports. We started enjoying the world of the cruising community as we had potlucks and cocktails on board various boats with some of the cruisers anchored in Cat Harbor, and met and talked with others in the village of Two Harbors.
Most of May went by while we were in Long Beach at the Alamitos Bay Marina. The three chandleries adjoining the marina received considerable financial support from our boat work, but we also got in some significant relaxation. We saw friends, reprovisioned, and enjoyed the exciting and successful revitalization efforts of the City. I am so proud of all the work that has been done in Long Beach and particularly the last four years. So, well done, Long Beach! Both Larry and I will be looking for someplace to live after we finish sailing and both agree that it will most likely be Long Beach unless we find some place we like better. So Long Beach will become the standard to beat. Stay tuned.
In May we had the pleasure of flying to NYC to participate in John’s graduation from Columbia. That was a joy for us and we are so very proud of John.
To round out the summer, we spent a pleasant week in July on
a mooring in Newport Beach, and had several trips back and forth between the mainland
and the Channel Islands, via Catalina. To break up the passages between
Catalina and Santa Cruz Island in June <Larry: just a little long for a
comfortable daylight passage> we stopped several times at Santa Barbara
Island, which is about 40 miles from Santa Cruz Island, and roughly 25 from
Catalina. This island is very remote and desolate, inhabited by sea lions,
pelicans, and a ranger located in a very smart looking and rather new marine
center and ranger center high on the hill. Access to the 
marine
center requires that one take one’s dinghy to the foot of a tall ladder
attached to a wharf let in to the side of a cliff, climb up the stepladder, and
order the sea lions out of the path from the wharf to the ranger station. We
declined that opportunity and just enjoyed the wildlife and the austere
remoteness of the area from our boat. When we stopped over in Catalina on these
trips we would often anchor in Emerald Bay, one of our favorite anchorages,
just outside of Two Harbors, on the leeward (North) side of the island.
Beautiful, clear turquoise water with visibility usually to the bottom of the
cove at 25-40 feet.
As the summer ended we set sail for San Diego, where we spent September and October after a brief stop in Dana Point. On approach to San Diego, in the predawn dark, we saw on our RADAR the arcing tracks of high-speed vessels that would come at us from one side, then when a mile or two away would turn away from us and head back the way they came. This experience was repeated a number of times over the hours, until eventually we were hailed on the radio by a vessel asking “our intentions.” As best we can work it out, the high-speed vessels were some sort of guard craft, perhaps inflatables (with a low RADAR signature) who were patrolling a cordon around some Navy ship that was heading in to San Diego.
We had applied to join the Baja Ha-Ha cruiser’s rally (see http://www.baja-haha.com) from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, a 750 mile trip down the peninsula of Baja California <Larry: and downwind, mostly! But see below.> with about 150 other boats, nearly all sailboats. Our application was accepted and we needed to spend the time in San Diego in preparation. <Larry: More financial support to chandleries. One of the great benefits of this summer cruise was that we learned how things break in this complex organism called Moria: what the symptoms are, how to work backward from the symptoms to the diseases, and what to do about them. Many boats on the Ha-Ha were newly purchased, or had newly installed systems, with which their owners struggled painfully on the way down the Mexican coast. We were able to break up the work with a pleasant week of vacation (do retired people take vacations?) in Seattle, and a practice night-passage up to Catalina Island and back.>
Additional photos from this season can be found in our Photo Gallery and Moira’s Ship’s Store.
Statistical summary of the season in California
- Time period: April 2, 2004 to October 25, 2004 (206 days, about seven months).
- Distance covered: about 900 nautical miles (nm) or about 1,035 statute miles.
- Longest single passages: Monterey, CA to San Simeon, CA, and San Diego, CA to Santa Catalina Island, each about 90nm, in 20 hours.
